Month: October 2015

In the age of search, mobile & social, your industrial brand strategy should be front & center. And, NOT BORING.

Have you ever really thought about your industrial brand? I have.

Just yesterday, I reviewed nine boring industrial websites. We are doing an inbound marketing project for a local industrial supplier. A critical component of an effective inbound marketing initiative is monitoring the online competition. (Once we start these projects, it is so much fun to watch them squirm.)

Talk about boring. Even the websites that were graphically superior, were boring. All of them said, “Here, we provide these products…you want to buy some?”

Industrial marketers have a greater opportunity for ROI than most businesses using marketing automation

Stay with me on this short blog post. There is big payoff at the end for your industrial marketing strategy.

Marketing automation for industrial comes with a healthy dose of skepticism. John Wanamaker, considered the “pioneer in marketing”, long ago said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” It is not surprising industrial marketers’ are skeptical of marketing automation and its benefits. They want sales. They want ROI. They want it now.

An INFOGRAPHIC on the best way to blow away your industrial competitors using inbound marketing and marketing automation…in 5 steps

Industrial marketers are always looking for a competitive advantage over their compeitors.

These 5 STEPS take months for executive buy-in, execution and success. But I can assure you, given the pace of innovation and adaption of content marketing (some call it inbound marketing) for the industrial market you will be way ahead of your competitors.

“I’m absolutely convinced that you will learn more by emulating successful ideas from outside your industry than by copying what your nearest competitor is doing. Remember, the best thing about new rules is that your competitors probably don’t know about them yet”.

David is convinced and so am I, this will be the industrial marketing strategy of the near future. Here is an INFOGRAPHIC that breaks down the 5 STEPS for online success and beating your competitors to the best online prospects.

Growth hacking is a new term for your industrial marketing strategy. Here’s what you need to know and how to use it for advanced B2B lead generation.

For most industrial marketers the term “growth hacking” is probably foreign. Let’s turn to Wikipedia for a quick definition of growth hacking.

“Growth hacking is a marketing technique developed by technology startups which uses creativity, analytical thinking, and social metrics to sell products and gain exposure. It can be seen as part of the online marketing ecosystem, as in many cases growth hackers are using techniques such as search engine optimization, website analytics, content marketing and A/B testing. Growth hackers focus on low-cost and innovative alternatives to traditional marketing, e.g. utilizing social media and viral marketing instead of buying advertising through more traditional media.”

Fact:67% of millennials agree that they can find a YouTube video on anything they want to learn- Google Consumer Survey, April 2015, U.S. online population aged 18-34.

Not really a shocker, because I’m quite sure anybody reading this has gone to YouTube to find out how to stain your deck, how to install a sprinkler system, how to write a blog, how to preform CPR…and the list goes on.

Although I have no statistics, I would also wager that industrial marketers (especially industrial suppliers) probably have more sales content tucked away on those lateral files than just about any industry in the country.

Developing a progressive industrial marketing strategy is hard work. These 2 guys make it fun and profitable using podcasts

Through my industrial blogging efforts, I meet Jason Zenger from Zenger’s Industrial Supply. Jason apparently noticed one of my blog posts via one of the LinkedIn Groups I participate in, mostly related to industrial internet marketing. Jason called me unexpectedly and wanted to meet at his business in the Chicago area.

At the same time, you are watching your sales expenses go up. You are also a little queasy about what you hear on the street & read on the web; “Cold calling is dead”, “Nobody likes interruptive marketing”, “The trade shows don’t seem to pull in the leads they used to”, “Your buyer is 70% through the buying process before they even talk to a salesperson”. Reading data from surveys like GlobalSpec’s 2014 Trends in Industrial Marketing confirms your gut feelings.